Setting the Scene #

Matthew 3:13–17 — Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (KJV)

We begin with a beautiful picture of humility and purpose. Jesus comes to John to be baptised—not because He needed cleansing, but to fulfil all righteousness. John hesitated, rightly so, understanding the divine order that the lesser is blessed by the greater:

Hebrews 7:7 — Now without dispute, the inferior is blessed by the superior. (NET)

John’s Humility and Identity #

John’s reluctance to baptise Jesus shows his awareness of who he was in God’s eternal plan. He knew he was only a voice preparing the way:

Matthew 3:3 — For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (NET)

Mark 1:3 — The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’

Luke 3:4 — The voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’

John 1:23 — “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John recognised his baptism was symbolic, pointing to something greater—a baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire:

Matthew 3:11 — “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy to carry his sandals! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (NET)

Luke 3:16 — “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh… he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”

John 1:27 — “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

Christ’s Eternal Supremacy #

John the Baptist also bore witness to the eternal nature of Christ:

John 1:15 — “He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

John 1:30 — “After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

The Fulfilment of All Righteousness #

Matthew 3:15 — “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

This is the heart of the baptism. Jesus did not come to be baptised as a sinner, but as the One who would bring to completion the righteousness of the law. The Greek word for “fulfil” is πληρόω (plēroō) — to make full, complete, or bring to full expression.

Jesus fulfilled not just an act, but the entire purpose of righteousness under the Law.

Fulfilment, Not Abolition #

Matthew 5:17–18 — “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfil them.” (NET)
“Until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.”

The Law pointed to Christ in types, shadows, and prophetic figures. Its purpose was always temporary until the substance (Christ) appeared.

The Law: A Shadow, Christ the Reality #

Hebrews 10:1 — For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself…

Romans 10:4 — For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes. (NET)

Romans 6:7 — For someone who has died has been freed from sin. (NET)

Romans 3:20 — Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Romans 7:7 — I would not have known sin except through the law.

1 Corinthians 15:56 — The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Christ’s death disarmed the law by ending the man who was under it.

Objective and Subjective Death #

There are two aspects to the Cross:

1. Objective death – what Christ did once for all.
2. Subjective death – our internal experience of dying with Him.

Galatians 2:20 — “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Galatians 5:18 — “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

We fulfil righteousness by entering into His fulfilment, not our own. As we identify with His death, we are freed from the Law.

The Transition from Old to New #

Jesus was the fulfilment of the old and the foundation of the new. John the Baptist marked the end of the old covenant system:

Hebrews 10:9 — “He does away with the first to establish the second.”

Hebrews 9:8 — “The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing.”

So why was Jesus baptised in the Jordan?

The Jordan River was the place where Israel entered the Promised Land. In this moment, Jesus signified that He was opening the way into a new promised life, not through works, but through Himself.

A New Priesthood, A New Covenant #

The baptism of Jesus marks the passing of the old priesthood and the rise of the new. He was not merely stepping into ministry—He was stepping into our place. Heaven opened, the Spirit descended, and the Father spoke, confirming Jesus as the Son in whom the entire plan of God would be completed.

Final Thoughts #

• Jesus’ baptism was not for personal repentance but to fulfil the righteousness of the Law and Prophets system.
• It signified the Old Covenant’s end and the New Covenant’s beginning.
• He brought us with Him into that fulfilment so we could live by the Spirit and not by law.

In Christ,
Shaliach.